The Board on Life Sciences will convene an ad hoc committee to examine the achievements of the National Plant Genome Initiative (NPGI) since its inception in 1998 and assess the program's contribution to science, research infrastructure and education of the next generation scientists. In so doing, the study will assess whether the NPGI has met its objectives and the nation's needs for innovation in basic plant science, agriculture and energy research. The study will also examine the broader impact of NPGI and whether its research and activities have generated insights for other disciplines in biology. The committee plans to produce a report within 14 months from the start of the award with recommendations for future research directions and objectives for NPGI.
